Stanley felt his ears redden. Even after everything he'd been through, the memory
still caused him to feel shame.
"So you couldn't have stolen them," said Ms. Morengo.
"He didn't. I did," said Zero.
"You did what?" asked Ms. Morengo.
"I stole the sneakers."
The lawyer actually turned around while driving and looked at him. "I didn't hear
that," she said. "And I advise you to make sure I don't hear it again."
"What did my father invent?" Stanley asked. "Did he find a way to recycle
sneakers?"
"No, he's still working on that," explained Ms. Morengo. "But he invented a product
that eliminates foot odor. Here, I've got a sample in my briefcase. I wish I had more.
You two could bathe in it."
She opened her briefcase with one hand and passed a small bottle back to Stanley. It
had a fresh and somewhat spicy smell. He handed it to Zero.
"What's it called?" Stanley asked.
"We haven't come up with a name yet," said Ms. Morengo.
"It smells familiar," said Zero.
"Peaches, right?" asked Ms. Morengo. "That's what everyone says."
A short while later both boys fell asleep. Behind them the sky had turned dark, and
for the first time in over a hundred years, a drop of rain fell into the empty lake.
PART THREE
FILLING IN THE HOLES
50
Stanley's mother insists that there never was a curse. She even doubts whether
Stanley's great-great-grandfather really stole a pig. The reader might find it interesting,
however, that Stanley's father invented his cure for foot odor the day after the
great-great-grandson of Elya Yelnats carried the great-great-great-grandson of
Madame Zeroni up the mountain.
The Attorney General closed Camp Green Lake. Ms. Walker, who was in desperate
need of money, had to sell the land which had been in her family for generations. It was
bought by a national organization dedicated to the well-being of young girls. In a few
years, Camp Green Lake will become a Girl Scout camp.
This is pretty much the end of the story. The reader probably still has some
questions, but unfortunately, from here on in, the answers tend to be long and tedious.
While Mrs. Bell, Stanley's former math teacher, might want to know the percent change
in Stanley's weight, the reader probably cares more about the change in Stanley's